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Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This May brings a rare celestial treat, two full moons in one month! We’re exploring the science of space and how astronomy connects us through curiosity, discovery, and a shared wonder for what lies beyond.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-May-2026 14:16 ET (9-May-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)

Are university policies holding science back? Study shows how patenting boosts pure research.

University of California - Berkeley Haas School of Business
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in the journal Science reveals that researchers who both publish papers and file patents—dubbed “Pasteur’s quadrant researchers”—produce work that is more novel and more influential than those who stick to just one activity.

Journal: Science

New SwRI laboratory to study the origins of planetary systems

Southwest Research Institute
Business Announcement

SAN ANTONIO — December 1, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has created a new space science laboratory to enhance our understanding of the origins of planetary systems. SwRI’s Nebular Origins of the Universe Research (NOUR) Laboratory is led by SwRI Senior Research Scientist Dr. Danna Qasim.

Sticky beginnings: When life began to gel

Hiroshima University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists propose a new “prebiotic gel-first” framework that suggests life on Earth may have begun in sticky, surface-bound gels. These primitive gels could have concentrated and protected molecules, enabling complex chemical reactions long before cells formed. This insight may even help guide the search for life beyond Earth.

Journal: ChemSystemsChem
Funder: University of Leeds Research Mobility Funding, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Mizuho Foundation for the Promotion of Science

Close brush with two hot stars millions of years ago left a mark just beyond our solar system

University of Colorado at Boulder
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Roughly 4.4 million years ago, two stars known as Epsilon and Beta Canis Majoris flew past Earth's sun at a distance of about 30 to 35 light-years. In the process, they altered the chemistry of what scientists call the "local interstellar clouds."

Journal: The Astrophysical Journal

Helium leak on the exoplanet WASP-107b

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team, including astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, has observed giant clouds of helium escaping from the exoplanet WASP-107b. Obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope, these observations were modeled using tools developed at UNIGE. Their analysis, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, provides valuable clues for understanding this atmospheric escape phenomenon, which influences the evolution of exoplanets and shapes some of their characteristics.

Journal: Nature Astronomy

Irish astrophysicists join satellite mission to study the hidden lives of stars

Maynooth University
Business Announcement

Maynooth University has joined an international space science mission with the successful launch of Mauve, a small ultraviolet telescope developed by UK-based company Blue Skies Space.

Funder: Research Ireland

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